


Shout At The Devil

by IWillBeTheEndofYou



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: ABO dynamics, Abusive Relationships, Adult Ciel Phantomhive, Alcohol, Alpha!Sebastian, Biker Gang, Cigarettes, Domestic Violence, Leather Jackets, M/M, Manipulation, Motorcycles, Murder for Hire, Omega!Ciel, club houses, escape your fate, rescue me from everything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-25 03:54:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30083070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWillBeTheEndofYou/pseuds/IWillBeTheEndofYou
Summary: Omega Ciel Phantomhive is engaged to Claude Faustus, an alpha who is not nearly as kind as he seems. Resigned to his fate, he decides to try and make the best of it. On the take that he meets the matchmaker to have the contract signed, he is offered one chance at escape. But his savior is wearing black leather and has a smile darker than sin. Is it better than where he's been?
Relationships: Claude Faustus/Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis/Ciel Phantomhive
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	1. He'll Be the Blood Between Your Thighs

Ciel Phantomhive did not anticipate that this was where his life would lead him. He kept his hands on his thighs, his face titled downwards. The alpha walked towards him, smirk quirking up the corners of his lips. Ciel didn't have to look up to see that. He knew this truth just as deeply as he knew the birthmark on his lift hip, a small smattering that looked like it could be a constellation if you tilted your head just right. He used to hate that birthmark, he mused. He used to think that it would mark him as ugly, as unusable. As an unsuitable omega.

He had been wrong.

The things that marked him as unsuitable went much deeper than a birthmark that was near constantly hidden under his clothes.

"When we're mated." the alpha was standing in front of him. Ciel forced himself to focus on his shoes. They shone like the Mary Jane's a little girl would wear, he thought. They had that fakey, thin leather look to him. They looked cheap, and he wanted to recoil from them.  
"This is how you will greet me every night. On your knees, head down, waiting for me. And if you don't, it's easy enough to alpha command you."

Ciel cringed. That was not the purpose of an alpha command. They were meant to keep an omega out of imminent danger, to protect pups, to keep the nest a safe place. But of course, you couldn't expect an alpha to understand something like that, could you? And the thought of pups made Ciel want to puke. This alpha had made it clear immediately that he expected pups, and he wanted them as soon as it was physically possible. Ciel's heat wasn't going to come fast enough for him.

He was likely to get his way, too. It was no secret that omegas were extremely fertile.

"And remember," the alpha squatted down, caught Ciel's chin and forced him to look up. "If you so much as breathe a word of this to your aunt, you're going to regret it."

"Yes, alpha." he breathed. That was what he wanted to be called, he wanted to be called alpha. He barely met the qualifications, really, Ciel thought. He smell was weak. He didn't have the strength, the muscles, that were so characteristic of alphas. If you didn't catch him just right, it was easy to consider Claude a beta. At least if he was a beta, Ciel would have had a chance.

"Good. You and your money belong to me." He stood up quickly, leaving Ciel. "Release," he murmured, allowing Ciel to stand up. The omega stepped towards him, cheeks red, teeth clenched together. Claude only laughed and put on a mock sad face.  
"Things not to your liking, little omega?"

"I'm going to fuck you up." he hissed.

"You wish you could." he straightened his clothes. "Wouldn't want to upset your aunt, would you?"

Ciel wilted at that. His aunt. The only reason he was going through with this. He just glowered as Claude waved and nearly danced his way out of the house. Ciel sank onto the couch and buried his face in his hands. The door opened and Aunt Ann walked in, red hair gleaming, a tired smile on her face.

"Hello, darling."

"Hello, Auntie," he greeted duly.

"Whatever is the matter? You look tired to death. Is it your heat?" she frowned and scurried over to him, his hand to his forehead, scenting the air.

"No," he gently moved her hand from him. "Claude left. He said to give you his best."

"Ah, I see." she smiled knowingly. "Heartsick then, is it? Well, just you go up and lay down for awhile. Things will move fast enough. We meet with the matchmaker tomorrow."

"Why do we have to see the matchmaker?" he groaned as he stood up. "I want to marry him, I already said yes."

"Because the matchmaker is making sure that the marriage contract is secure for both of you. Besides, it's tradition." she smiled at him. "And I know that your parents would want us to keep with tradition."

He just hummed and headed up the stairs to his room. How much longer would this really be his room, he wondered. How much longer would he have a place of his own to fling himself down? With the posters of the bands he liked, with his books in a messy pile on the nightstand? With the blankets and towels and pillows twisted into his nest just so?

Ciel shuddered at the thought of nesting for such an alpha as Claude. He nearly whimpered, that sad, soft omega sound that would send any alpha and most betas scrambling. Such things didn't have the effect he wanted on Claude, though. The first time he'd tried it with him, because he'd wanted the blanket Claude was sitting on, the alpha snarled and stood up, chucking the fabric at him. And then he stepped towards him until the omega was backing himself into a corner.

"Don't you ever think for one second just because my biology demands I give into your puny, pathetic whines that you have any power over me." he growled. "I am in charge. I always will be."

"Y-yes, okay." Ciel gulped. Claude had swung away from him, beaming that sweet smile that he had first shown to Ciel. When their time together was over, Ciel was left wondering if he had imagined the whole thing. It was easy enough to write it off, perhaps it was just something that he didn't like. After all, Ciel had things that he didn't like, and boundaries were a healthy thing.

But those boundaries had spread, and soon he found himself under alpha commands, and subjecting himself to being kissed, and heavy fingers digging into his skin. He supposed, he thought as he burrowed deeper into his nest, that he should be grateful he hadn't been violated. Claude seemed just as interested as he was in keeping his virginity intact. He pulled his favorite blanket over his head, happy that he was able to nest here.

He had the feeling that Claude didn't appreciate nesting, and if he did, it certainly wouldn't be with materials as nice as this. Auntie had spared no expense getting him the materials that he desired. He craved soft blankets to be pulled over his body. For the structure, he liked heavier ones, with pillows and scarves shoved in the holes.

Every omega made a nest a little bit different. Some liked high walls, some liked to have a corner to help form a wall of the nest. Ciel liked his round, and just perfect for him to curl into. He had not considered that eventually he'd have to make a nest big enough for two. Although many omegas only really liked to nest when they were in heat. He liked it all the time, craved the comfort of it.

Likely due to the death of his parents when he was so young, he mused. Still, he didn't see the point in trying to figure it out. He liked to nest, he liked to feel comfortable in a nest. That was really all there was to it.

***

"Well, you look lovely." Auntie Ann was fussing with the jacket he was wearing. Ciel sighed and caught her hands in his. He brought them to his lips, kissed her sweetly.

"You won't have to worry once I'm married."

"Darling, I will always worry about you." she shook her head. "It's my job."

"But it shouldn't be." he argued.

"Maybe you'll understand when you have children." she just sighed and walked him out to the car. She was wearing one of her smarter suits, Ciel thought. He loved the way the red matched her hair. It was hard to find clothes that matched so well, and she did a great job. She was so striking, and every head turned to look at her. It was a shame she was a beta, she would have made a formidable alpha or omega.  
"Are you scared, darling?"

"No," he leaned against the window, relishing in the cool of it against his heated skin. He wasn't scared at all. He was resigned. This was his fate, and he would meet it gladly.

"You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to." she glanced at him as she drove them towards the matchmaker's. He just shrugged and sighed. He did have to. He was in too deep now. If he tried and backed out now, if he told the truth, Claude had promised to destroy him. It was either marry Claude and do it soon, or marry no one and live the rest of his life in disgrace.

That wasn't an option. He couldn't do that to Auntie, not after she'd put her whole life on hold to take care of him. Her work at the hospital and taking care of Ciel, that was all that mattered. When she had heard of Claude, how smart and kind he was, she thought he was the perfect match for her beloved nephew. And at first, he had even agreed.

And now he was in too deep to ever get out.

Maybe once the children came, Claude would be satisfied. Or he'd hate them, a tiny voice said in his head. He'd be jealous and mean to the babies, and you'll spend your whole life trying to protect them, and they'll know the truth. And they'll resent you because you failed. They aren't even born yet, and you're already failing them.

"You know that you can have any stipulations you want into the contract." she said as they parked in front of a nondescript building. The window said Matchmaker in peeling gold letters. There were dark drapes at the windows. Nausea built in Ciel's stomach. He climbed out of the car, listening to the loose gravel underneath his sneakers.

He hesitated at the door, glancing back at Aunt Ann, gleaming like a beacon. He opened the door and stepped in. Claude was already sitting there, in one of the rickety looking chairs. The room was so plain, with a long heavy desk, and a curtain separating it from another back room. When he stepped in, Claude jumped up and reached out for him.

"Ah, love, you're here!" his voice sounded so happy, so genuinely pleased that Ciel was there, in that building with him. Like waiting without him had been painful, and now it wasn't.

"Hello," he gave a soft smile. He did like these moments when Claude could be sweet. He sought them out and relished them, horded these moments in his heart. When Claude was cruel, when he was harsh, he would take the moments out and examine them like gemstones, reminding himself why he had fallen in love with him in the first place.

"Sit here, sit here. Hello, Auntie!" he gave Ann a kiss on the cheek, then same next to Ciel, draping his arm around his shoulders. "So good to see you. I can't wait until we can sign then, get it on the road."

"Are you that eager to bond with me?" it caused a fluttering in his heart, his inner omega preened.

"Of course I am. I can't wait until I know that you're all mine forever." his hand tightened on Ciel's shoulders. Icy fingers of fear reached out and wrapped around his heart at roughly the same time. Forever was such a wretchedly long time, when someone thought about it. It was both too long and not nearly long enough, in the right circumstances.

"Phantomhive?" a voice said from behind the curtain. Ciel swallowed and rose, smoothing down his jacket.

"I should go with you!" Claude jumped up.

"Only Phantomhive. I speak with the omega, then the alpha. This is the way that things are done."

"Fine," Claude seemed to melt, but that look in his eye told the omega how unhappy he was. He tried to give a kind smile, only met with a glare, and walked back behind the curtain.


	2. All This Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The matchmaker learns the truth

Ciel sat down in the chair, which was significantly nicer than the ones in the waiting room. The door swung shut behind him. He squinted in the dim. There was a small table, and a chair across from him. The matchmaker sat across from him, long gray hair in his face. Ciel couldn't make out one single feature. His jacket was long, with ragged sleeves, and covered his hands as he placed them on the table.

"This," he tapped the paperwork. "Is not a good contract."

"No?" he was surprised. "It was the other night when I looked it over."

"Oh? Did you think so?" the matchmaker sounded surprised. "You thought the part where he has sole custody of any pups produced from the bond, and your inheritance from your parents?"

"What?" Ciel knew he sounded stupid. The matchmaker flipped a few pages, pointed out the highlighted parts. Ciel squinted. The one lamp lit didn't give nearly enough light. But sure enough, everything he said was true.  
"Why would Claude put something..." he trailed off. He knew the reason.

"It isn't entirely uncommon for a--certain breed of alpha to have a contract like this." if Ciel could have seen his eyes, he would have felt them piecing his soul, seeing deeply inside of him.  
"Do you want to sign today, Ciel?"

"No," he breathed, barely aware of what he was saying. "I don't think I ever want to sign."

"I see," the matchmaker had a rather gentle tone, non threatening, and Ciel felt more at ease than he had in days. He should have, perhaps, been a bit worried about the effect that someone's voice could have on him. But alpha commands were nothing new, considering. This wasn't quite an alpha command though. This was soothing and hypnotic.  
"And do you not want to sign because of the terms and conditions, or because of the alpha?"

"The alpha," he said it as easily as he asked for three lumps of sugar. He said it as easily as asking for a macaron. He didn't even have to think about it.

"Ciel," the tone was a little more serious now, although it kept that soothing cadence. "Are you in trouble?"

"Not if I do sign. He won't kill me, at least not right away. And I wouldn't leave him, not if it meant that I would have to leave any pups. I can take birth control and suppressants as long as I'm able. It'll be fine."

"Ciel?" a soft, soft question. He felt almost like he was floating, falling back into a cloud. "This is very important, and you must not lie to me."

"I gain nothing by lying. I know where my fate is, and it is with Claude Faustus. I don't have to like it, I only need to accept it. Ask me whatever you need to know, matchmaker."

"Ciel, does Claude ever hurt you? Does he place you under alpha commands to hurt you? Does he make you do things you don't want to do? Does he belittle you? Does he put hands on you and cause physical harm?"

Part of Ciel's mind was screaming. This was a secret that could not be told. This was something that no one was supposed to find out about. Stay quiet. Deny. Change the topics. Do all those polite conversational things you learned in school. Snap out of it, Ciel, come on!

"All the time." he said lightly. "But such is the plight of an omega like me."

"May I see you arms?"

Ciel held out his arms, was barely aware of the jacket sleeves being rolled up. The bruises on his arms were evident, from being grabbed and pushed down. Omegas did bruise so easily. And Ciel was so pale, so lovely, his skin told the story of every harshness. The matchmaker tutted, patted his hand. He rose and shuffled to a corner where a tea service was. The coat was so long, he looked like he could have been gliding.

The gloomy air of the room and the strange dress of him, along with the anxiety of being here made Ciel think of an undertaker more than a matchmaker. A tea cup was pressed into his hand. He sipped the hot liquid, feeling himself come back down to earth a little bit.

"I need to go and speak with your aunt."

"Why?" the suspicion came back into his voice, now that he was snapping out of whatever trance he had been in. The matchmaker reached out again, put his hands on Ciel's. With one gentle brush against the scent glands on the insides of his wrists, Ciel felt himself calm again. He just sipped the tea, sitting in the chair.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it, pet. Drink your tea. Relax. Auntie and I will sort everything out for you."

Ciel was rather tired of having other people sort things out for him. He knew the laws though. He knew that he was an omega, and he was little better than a piece of property, when you got right down to it. Sure, the inheritance was his, but he had to have a guardian for it, either his spouse or some sort of court appointed one. It might as well not be his at all. He wondered when people would see that having rules like that made him much more ripe for abuse than just having the money in his own power.

Hours may have passed, he wasn't sure. The tea was still warm in his cup, and that floating feeling was pretty nice. He felt more relaxed than he had in the six months he'd been seeing Claude. He knew that seemed quick to be engaged, and for betas, it probably was. But omegas and alphas didn't date long, their bodies demanding they mate, bond, breed.

Ciel's whole life was one long fight against his biology.

There were shouts, cries of outrage, an alpha growl in the waiting room. He shuddered, glad he wasn't in the room. He was safe, here in this darkness with the door closed. He wondered if he should close his eyes, drowse forever. A door was slamming somewhere, although the outraged voices were continuing in the waiting room.

"Ciel!" he seemed to snap out of his quiet. He blinked a few times. Auntie in the doorway, tears streaming down her face. "Darling, why didn't you tell me?"

"I told you not to do that!" the matchmaker was growling at her. "I told you that we'd have to bring him up nice and slowly. You'll cause a panic."

"Where's Claude?" he asked, trying to peer behind them. The matchmaker pushed Ann to the side, brushed his wrists again.

"He's gone. You don't need to see him today. Everything is fine, Ciel." that calm voice. "Auntie knows everything, and she isn't mad at you. No one is mad at you. We're angry at the situation, and we're angry at the way that alpha treated you. You're not in trouble."

He was calm then, although not quiet so fuzzy as he had been at first. He set the teacup down and opened his arms with a whimper. Aunt immediately was bundling him to her chest.

"He never wants a hug like this, not since he was a little boy." she whispered.

"This is a very deep kind of calming pheromone, Ann. It isn't unusual for an omega to be a little more vulnerable or scared coming up. It's natural. He's seeking comfort, is all."

Ann just stroked his back, gathered the contracts, spoke in a low voice to the matchmaker. She walked him to the car, buckled him in and began to drive them home. Ciel felt tired and weak.

"You can sleep as soon as we get home." she promised. "I'll put you to bed with some tea. And in the morning, we'll sort out this whole Claude mess."

"Not much of a mess." he murmured. "I either sign with him or he takes me kicking and screaming. He told me so." he shrugged. "If I sign quietly, then he at least doesn't hurt you."

"Hurt me?" she repeated. "Oh, hell no," it came out a hiss between her teeth. "Don't you worry about a thing, Ciel, darling. Auntie is going to sort this whole thing out."

***

When Ciel woke in the morning, he felt an aching in his scent glands. He rubbed them idly as he dressed in a long sleeved shirt and sweatpants and drifted down the stairs.

"You're awake!" Ann was sitting on the couch, wrapped in an afghan. She took off her reading glasses, set aside the heavy novel. "Come here, my love."

Ciel crept towards her. When he was close enough, she opened up her arms. With a pitiful little whimper, he settled into them. She sighed, rubbing her nose against the top of his head, taking in his smell of cinnamon sugar, that smell that started when he presented as an omega those years ago, and she had begun to fear for his safety.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"No, it was my fault."

"Darling!" she caught his chin, tilted his face to look at hers. "Why would Claude's actions be your fault?" he shrugged, uncomfortable.

"He told me that people don't hurt good omegas. So if he was able to hurt me, then I must be a bad omega."

"That's--not true at all." she blinked several times.

"He told me I couldn't tell you. I spent hours in alpha commands, and by the time it was over, I was so tired. And I was embarrassed. You want me to be a good omega."

"I only ever wanted you to be a happy Ciel!" tears stung her eyes, bitter and bright. She caught him in a hug again. "It doesn't matter. He can't hurt me, Ciel. When I saw the real contract, when I realized all the things that he was going to do to you... I wouldn't have let you marry him. I'm so glad we saw the matchmaker."

"What did he do to me?" Ciel asked, unsure if he was angry or just curious.

"He has very powerful calming pheromones, love. You know that an omega can put those out, right?" he nodded.

"But typically they're only useful if someone is injured, their mate is in distress, or their child is in distress."

"Right! Precisely. Well, there are alphas, only a very few, who are able to put out the same pheromone. But they only work on omegas, and they're so potent they put you into a trance. I'd never even seen it before in practice. A useful trick for the matchmaker to have, now that I think about it. There's no way an omega could lie in such a state."

"So he does it to make sure the omega really wants the contract?"

"Yes," she said grimly. "It's easy to manipulate an omega. As we both know. Ciel, if I had any inkling that Claude--."

"Don't," he said softly.

"Anyway... the matchmaker has submitted paperwork to the authorities. We can press charges."

"No!" Ciel jerked back. "God, no."

"Why? We don't have to let him get away with this. I told you that he can't hurt me."

"Because," he pulled away. "I don't want to go and tell them what happened to me. What I let happen to me. I don't want to have to explain it. I don't want every interaction picked apart."

"That won't happen." she frowned. "He hit you. He alpha commanded you. He tried to trap you in a marriage that would have--." she trailed off.

"The rest of the world won't see it that way. They'll see an omega who wasn't smart enough to leave a bad situation, and wasn't good enough to do as he was told. It is always the omegas fault. How many have come to your clinic with that story, Aunt?"

"And I tell them the same thing that I'm telling you. It is never your fault. You're not in charge of anyone's actions but your own."

"The rest of the world doesn't understand that. And I don't need the rest of the world's judgement. It hurts enough in my own head, dammit." he rose off the cough. "I want to pretend the whole Claude thing never happened."

"I don't think we could make it go away that easily, darling." she watched him for a moment. "I've contacted a few lawyers. They've recommended a restraining order."

"I don't think he'd listen to something like that anyway." he shrugged.

"Well, the papers have been filed. You're an omega, so it will get approved." she pursed her lips.

"And what's to stop him from coming anyway?" he shot back. "What's to stop him from bursting in here and killing me anyway? People who really want to hurt you will find a way." he said bitterly.  
"I'm not stupid."

"I know," she said gently. "I can't help but think that maybe your life would be easier if you were."

"I agree." he crossed his arms. "Maybe I could have been happy with someone like that."

"You never would have been." she cleared her throat.

"Forget about it, Aunt. There's nothing to be done for it. Let's all just try and move on with our lives."


	3. From the Start to th End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It isn't going as smoothly for Ciel as he would have hoped

Ann stayed home from work for a few days, speaking in whispers on the phone. Ciel spent most of the time in his nest, blankets pulled up around him. It was strange, he thought, Part of him was elated. He was free! He didn't have to marry Claude. He wasn't trapped in that marriage, he didn't have to live in fear that any children he had might be hurt.

But the other part of him was crushed. He wouldn't have an alpha. Alpha didn't want him. He was a bad omega, and no one would ever want him. He was going to spend the rest of his life alone. When Ann died, he'd have a court appointed guardian. Nothing was ever really going to be his. If he had just been a better omega, he wouldn't be in this predicament. He shuddered and curled into a tighter ball.

"I'm going to the shops, love." Ann called up the stores. "Do you want anything in particular?"

"Sweets?" he asked hopefully. "Maybe a slice of chocolate cake?"

"Of course. Don't open the door for anyone but me." she warned. He heard the door close and braved going downstairs. Maybe he could watch television for a little while by himself. He curled on the couch, some drama or another playing out on the screen.

"Ciel!" there was a cry on the front porch, familiar. A voice that had once been dear to his heart. Now it just caused shudders to go down his spine. "I know you're in there, babe. Come on and open the door."

"No! I don't want to see you, Claude."

"Yes you do," the voice was soothing, pacifying. "I'm sorry that the contract wasn't good to you. I can rewrite it. We'll put in anything that you want. Just let me in so we can talk about it. We don't even have to go back to the matchmaker."

"Please leave, before I call the police."

"Oh, come off it Ciel. You didn't call the police any other time, you're not going to do it now. You're going to open the door and let me in." it was bordering on an alpha command, and he bit his lip, tasting blood. His hand itched to go and twist the lock. He'd feel better if he could look at Claude, he told himself. He'd feel better to hear him apologize and get a hug.

To be held by an alpha again...

"Please go." he tried again.

"I can't, honey, you know that. Come and let me in and we'll sort out this whole thing." Claude sounded so sweet, so kind. Ciel was off the couch before he could even think about it too hard. His hand was reaching for the lock, ready to twist it so the knob could twist. And then Claude would be inside, and everything that felt so poisonous inside of him would go away.

"Get away from my house and my nephew!" came a shrill cry. He flew back from the door, stumbling towards the couch. "I told you, Faustus, if I saw you here again--."

"He wants me here! You have no right to meddle in the affairs of mates."

"I do when it's my nephew. Not to mention you're not bonded." Ann thundered back. "Get. Away. From. Here." there were stomping footsteps, and he knew that Claude was gone. He gasped as though all the air had left the room.  
"Darling?"

"He's not going to leave me alone."

"I'm afraid not." she shifted the shopping bags.

"The police aren't going to stop him." his voice was calm and cool as he said this. "He could kill me, if he really wanted to. I can't just never leave the house forever. That'll just be how I die." he said this with the same realization he had when he knew that the marriage wasn't something he wanted, but something he was going to have to take regardless. Better the devil you knew, after all.

"Don't talk like that."

"I can see the truth even if you can't." he sighed and rose. "Can I have my sweets?"

"Here," she murmured, passing him some plastic packets. He kissed her cheek as he went upstairs, to eat in his nest.

Ann frowned to watch him go. An omega secluding themselves in their nest was never a good thing. It was what they did to self soothe, to try and keep themselves safe. It wasn't going to work with Ciel. Not this time. She sighed and pulled out her phone. Time to make another call to the matchmaker.

***

I don't have a contract anymore. Why are we seeing him?" Ciel squirmed in the car.

"Because he can help you."

"I don't want to be hypnotized like that again!"

"Darling, no! He won't." she assured. "That was only to get your true feelings about the contract. I wouldn't let him just do something like that all willy-nilly." she frowned.  
"I think we need another strategy with this whole Claude situation."

"I don't see what other strategy there is. I marry him and I might be able to dodge him long enough to have a pretty okay life. Or I don't marry him and I spend the rest of my life in fear. Neither one of those are great options."

"And that's why we're seeing the matchmaker. To figure something else out." she said firmly as they parked.

He trailed after her back inside the grim building. The matchmaker didn't bother to call them back today, just sat with his hands inside his sleeves and listened to Ann speak. As she talked, she became more and more outraged. Ciel continued to sit woodenly. Even though he couldn't see his face, he knew that the matchmaker was looking at him.

"Ciel?"

"Yes," even though he knew, he still startled to hear his own name.

"Do you want to be with that alpha?"

"No. I don't see it as being my choice."

"My dear, there is always a choice." the matchmaker got off his chair and reached for a phone. It always interested Ciel to see a landline, especially one made of such heavy black plastic. It looked like it belong in a movie from the 1940s, with a rotary and everything. To his disappointment, the matchmaker didn't dial with the rotary, rather a number pad hidden with the earpiece.

Why did everything nice have to be so fake?

"Hello, Sebastian? Yes... Yes... I do... Yes... Okay... I will.." and he hung up. "Go home. Pack one bag. He will come for you in an hour and a half."

"Who is?" Ann blinked.

"Would that I could tell you, ma'am. But that would compromise the omega's safety. He doesn't deal in things like that. Just know that we're doing everything we can to keep Ciel safe. Maybe someday, when it's safe, I can tell you everything. But until that day, the less you know the less you're able to tell anyone else, the safer he is."

Ann thanked the matchmaker and drove Ciel home, where she dug out a suitcase and took it up to his room.

"Pack, darling."

"I can't possibly take everything I need in one bag."

"I know." she looked sad. "But I think we'd better do what we're told in this case."

"Do you trust him?" Ciel began to pull clothing items, toss them into the bag. He looked at his nest and sighed. Why was it every time he got the nest just the way he wanted it, with the perfect materials and everything, he had to leave? He threw in a book or two, grabbed the old stuffed rabbit from the nest. The last present his parents had given him before they died in the car accident.

He had been left at Aunt Ann's . His asthma had been acting up that day. Astre was going to go with them on the outing, something for his father's company. But the pollen in the air would have made him quite sick. He'd been devastated, had looked forward to a day of playing with the other kids, or sitting on the swings in the park they always had the picnic in. Dad had promised to do the egg toss   
with him and everything.

But his health came first, Dad had told him, stroking that hair so black it was nearly blue. Mom had seen the disappointment and presented him with the stuffed rabbit, dressed as he was in his charming little vest. Ciel had loved the gift immediately. Astre promised to try and win him another prize in the games. And they had all waved to him as he stood in the doorway of Aunt Ann's.

The day with her hadn't been so bad, really. They'd had some cake, drank tea out of her pretty cups. They'd watched television. But then it began to rain. Ann joked perhaps it was best that he didn't go to the picnic after all, and now that everyone would have to come home, likely before they'd eaten, she would order something and they could all eat together in her living room. She'd even put down a blanket so it would feel like a picnic.

But his parents didn't arrive with his brother. Instead, there was only the ringing of Ann's phone, the rush to the hospital, the doctor shaking his head. Ciel remembered the tightness in his chest. And the next time he was aware of anything, he was in a hospital bed, a nebulizer mask strapped over his face. And he had never felt quite the same since.

He gingerly laid bitter rabbit in the case, put a few sweaters in and handfuls of socks and underwear. He closed it easily. His life felt like it was rattling around in it. Ann just stared at him for a few moments.

"If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. We can figure something else out."

"I think we both know that isn't going to work." he snorted. "I'm only sorry that you're paying the price for my mistake, Aunt."

"Darling!" she wrapped her arms around him. "Don't you know that there's nothing I wouldn't do for you?" she nuzzled him. "I love you so much. None of this is your fault."

"Shouldn't have kept seeing him."

"That's what abusive people do!" she shook her head. "They make you feel that way."

"But no one is in charge of my feelings but me. Remember?" it was true that his therapist had told them this when he was small.

"It isn't the same." she felt so helpless. How to make him understand? Ciel just shrugged.

"We're running out of time." Ciel pointed out.

"It never feels like enough time." she held his hand as they walked downstairs. Just as they approached the living room, there was the honking of a car. She bit her lip and handed him a jacket while he put on his shoes.  
"Will you call me as soon as you can?"

"If I ever can." he smiled. The tears in her eyes were making his heartache. She watched him as he climbed into the backseat of the nondescript black car. It smelled strongly of alpha, of leather and tobacco. It was a nice smell, though, calming. Ciel just put the bag next to him and refused to look out the window as they drove away.

"And you are Ciel?" the voice from the front seat was warm and rich. The omega part of Ciel perked up. This one sounded promising.

"I guess just for today." he said flatly. The alpha let out a dry snort.

"The matchmaker sent me to you. I understand that you're having trouble with your ex fiance."

"That's a very kind way of putting it."

"That contract was garbage." the alpha flicked the turn signal on and started down a road Ciel had never known before. "But that in and of itself is not usually a reason that people feel the need to get in touch with me."

"It went a little deeper than that."

"I see," the alpha said darkly.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sebastian. But you, Ciel, can think of me as the answer to your prayers."


	4. The Best Thing About Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ciel arrives at the safe house

"Do you suppose there's enough room in the car for me? What with your swollen head, enlarged ego, and body?" he snorted, sitting back. It was, probably, not a very good idea to be sarcastic and kind of rude to the person who was supposed to save you. Especially when that person was an alpha who just seemed to ooze power.

The omega in Ciel was begging. Go and sit in his lap, scent him. Purr for him. Make him love you. Whether or not it was because he was hot, or because the omega in him was just kind of a slut, or because omega figured that if he had a better, stronger alpha, then Claude didn't stand a chance. None of the options were what Ciel would have considered comfortable, so he took that information and tried to boot it straight out of his head.

"I think I can make room for someone as beautiful as you." eyes were peering at him in the rearview mirror. When Ciel looked up, he realized they were flecked with red, of all colors. The most unusual eyes he thought he had ever seen. He just scoffed and looked away.

"Watch the road. My Aunt isn't trusting you with me for you to just kill me."

Sebastian just smirked, his eyes turning back to the road. Ciel peered out the window, realizing they were getting further and further from town. Anxiety shot up his spine. He reached in his phone in his pocket, but as soon as he had it out, Sebastian reached back, one hand on the wheel.

"I need that."

"What?"

"I need that," he repeated.

"But it has everything on it."

"Take out the memory card if you have to, back up photos to Google. I don't care. But I need the phone." he pulled off the side of the road. He turned to stare at the omega in his backseat. With frozen fingers, he uploaded all the pictures and then handed the device over. Sebastian rolled down his window and hurled it out, watching with some satisfaction as it landed in a corn field.

"What was that for?"

"Because your phone is a way to track you."

"Well, he wouldn't have been able to!"

"Yes, he would have." his voice was serene. "I promise you he has a tracker on your phone."

"I promise you that you're wrong. He wouldn't have needed it. I never left the house." he felt smug. There was a beat of silence, and Ciel was forced to admit that didn't come out making him look any better. Sebastian just began driving again.

"He's going to have a good time picking through a corn field looking for you, anyway."

Ciel was hard pressed to believe the Claude would ever do anything of the sort. He was fairly certain that once he went around to Ann's house and realized he wasn't there, he'd back off. Likely this whole thing would blow over as soon as he figured that out and found someone else to date. Ciel would be a heartbroken omega, no one would date him, and he'd have the rest of his life to be sad about it.

When you got right down to it, Ciel had probably over blown this whole thing. Ann and the matchmaker had reacted too strongly, as well. Claude probably meant no harm at all, really. He was just taking things too hard. Being too sensitive. Like he always was. Claude had told him that before. It was one of his bigger problems. He remembered some of the things Claude had said, and how they had seemed to cruel and hurtful. He remembered telling his boyfriend not to speak to him that way, and being told he was just too sensitive. He was assigning a tone to the words that wasn't there. He was reading too much into things. It must be anxiety.

"Where are we going?" he asked quietly.

"To your new home, where you'll be safe and well kept." he gave an easy smile, that might have been a mocking smirk if one new how to tilt their head just right. Ciel thought it best that perhaps he ask no more questions. He couldn't get anymore riddles for answers, and he wouldn't have to keep thinking so hard. He sat back in the car, his eyes drifting shut.

Sebastian glanced back at the little omega in the backseat. He was nearly asleep, smelling sweet and calm. He liked it when an omega was sleeping. It was nothing he was ever going to be able to admit to another person out loud. It came across as predatory and creepy, especially from an alpha to an omega. And Sebastian was well aware of what his biology demanded. But he would not give in to it. Sebastian was stronger than that.

This was not the first omega he had transported this way. Far from it. But this was the first one with such big, blue eyes that he watched to keep looking at. This was the first one who looked so hurt. The first one that had come so close to signing the bad marriage contract. This was the first omen who had seemed resigned to their fate, as thought they nearly welcomed death.

Ciel had taken a path of stoicism. Maybe if he could detach, he could make it all hurt less. Maybe if he wanted it, it would seem like this wasn't outside of his own control. Sebastian frowned at the thought. Omegas were too pure, too rare, to wonderful to be treated this way. He pulled up to the clubhouse, finally, and reached back.

"Ciel?"

"Fuck!" the omega jumped, scrambling towards the other side of the car seat. "Don't do that!" he scolded, pressing his hand to his chest.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." he focused and sent out a calming scent. Ciel seemed to visibly uncurl, at least relax enough to give him a scowl.

"I don't need to be mollycoddled like a child, you know." he scoffed. "Many people startle when they're shaken out of a dead sleep. You don't need to calm me."

"Okay, sorry for breathing." Sebastian muttered. "Get out of the car."

Ciel climbed out, taking his suitcase with him. He gawped at the place in front of him.

"What in God's name is this?" he stared at the sprawling estate in front of him.

"You're better served not asking questions." Sebastian just gestured for him to climb the steps to the front door. "After you, bocchan."

"Shut up," he scowled, dragging his bag behind him. The heavy doors swung open, revealing a grand staircase set with a red carpet. Sebastian stepped in, shaking his arms out of his leather coat as he went. Ciel was rather impressed with his arms, to be honest. There was tone there, strength there. And not just ordinary alpha strength. Really work out strength. Hard come by strength.

"If you climb the stairs and head to the left, there are empty rooms. Pick one, it doesn't matter which. Make yourself at home."

"Can I call my aunt?"

"Ah," Sebastian rubbed the back of his head, causing the dark hair to become even more messy. It fell artfully around his face, and it looked like it was done on purpose. Ciel immediately thought about how unfair the whole thing was. It took him forever to work on his hair, some days, requiring product and a straightener.

He wanted to pinch Sebastian.

"Well?" he prompted.

"Probably for the best you don't. Not until I can get Bard to get you one of the special phones. Untraceable and everything. Someone will be in touch with her to let her know that we got you here safe, and if you have to be moved again, we'll let her know that, as well." he gave a small smile to the omega, who didn't bother with one in return.  
"And if you brought a laptop, bring it down here. No going on Instabook, or FaceSpace or MyGram or ClikClok or whatever it is that everyone is doing these days." he pointed a finger. "You have got to keep quiet until I tell you that it's safe."

"Okay, okay, jeeze." he grumbled. "Can I go read a book?"

"That sounds like a lovely activity." he pointed to the stairs, then paused. "There are four locks on the doors for guests. Lock all of them if it makes you feel more comfortable. The windows are bullet proof, and lock from the inside. If it makes you feel even more comfortable, the desk can be pushed in front of the door."

"Oh," he felt himself going pink. He couldn't lie, those things really would make him feel better, probably.

"So whatever you're comfortable with. We know four times to let you know it's someone safe. Like this," he rapped his knuckles against his own palm. Two short knocks and two long knocks.  
"Make sense?"

"Yes," he looked at his shoes. "I'd like to go and lay down now."

"Of course. We'll see you at supper, bocchan."

"Don't call me that." he snapped, following Sebastian's finger up the stairs and ignoring the raised eyebrow he was given. He did feel a bit like a kid who had been sent to their room. He didn't take the first room right past the stairs. That would be the first one that someone would open. And he wouldn't very well take the last one, either. After all, if someone broke it, that would be the end point, and no way to slip around them. Instead, he took the third of six doors in. Time to hear someone coming, and probably time to slip past them and run like hell down the stairs.

He stepped in and closed the door, doing up the knob lock, the chain lock, the hook and eye, and the dead bolt. He did feel a little calmer, now that he thought about it. The room was modest in size, perhaps that of a mid level hotel chain. There was a full sized bed, with a slew of pillows and clean, folded up nesting materials at the foot of it. That was a shock. There was attached a small bathroom with a shower stall. And of course, the television on the wall.

It was very bland and not at all unwelcoming. It was just the sterility of it lacked so much warmth. He sighed and laid on the bed, leaving his suitcase where it was. He should unpack, keep his clothes from getting wrinkly. He should try and make a nest, burrow down into it and enjoy the idea of safety and warmth. Instead, he just laid in a little ball, feeling very sorry for himself.

This was what came of not being a good omega, a voice in his head, sounding much like Claude's whispered. If you had learned to behave, you wouldn't be in this predicament. Claude never would have had to punish you, and you never would have been found out by the matchmaker, and you could have been happy.

"He hit me." Ciel said aloud to no one in particular. "He put hands on me. He put me under alpha commands that hurt me. He said things that hurt me. Claude hurt me, and you shouldn't try and hurt the people that you love. That's a bad thing."

Ah, but the voice countered back. All you had to do was one simple thing, and that was whatever you were told. You thought you were better than that. And after you learned he has a temper, you did not try and avoid it, did you? Oh no, Ciel, not you. You just had to pick and pick and keep pushing the line. You knew what he'd do what you started those fights. Sometimes you even wanted it.

There was a sick comfort in knowing how a fight would end. There'd be no uncertainty, and certainly no break up. There would just be Claude, forcing him to his knees as he grabbed his arm and bent it behind his back. As he ripped Ciel's cell phone from his hands and threw it across the room. It was a dance they had danced so often, the steps and melodies were memorized.

But he didn't want to be hurt. Even when he knew it was going to happen, he didn't want to be hurt.

What Ciel really wanted were the moments that Claude was sorry. The times when he came in with flowers, or candies, and sweet smiles and whispered words of apologies and explanations. That was Ciel craved. Those moments of sweetness that he could keep forever. So the next time they fought, he knew he just had to wait it out. He kept reminding himself that the sweetness would come back. If only he could figure out the key to having it all the time. That was the real issue.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. Without his phone to fiddle with, there was no way to really check the time. His hands felt disturbingly empty, and he felt upsettingly bored.

Then came four knock. Ciel bolted upright.

"Yes?"

"Supper is on the table. Come and eat and meet the rest of the crew." Sebastian's voice. Ciel crept towards the door, taking his time undoing all the locks. Sebastian was leaning on the wall opposite his door, arms crossed.  
"Ready?"  
"Sure? Unless you meant for me to go change into something else?" the alpha laughed.  
"We don't stand on formality like that here. We just require good manners at the table. Come on, they're waiting for you."  
Who was waiting?


	5. We Scream, We Shout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Ciel discuss the length of his stay.

Sebastian listened while Ciel moved all the furniture, undid the locks. Part of him was glad that Ciel was smart enough to do up the locks. Some of the omegas they got here were so shaken, so scared they didn't dare to do up the locks. It was never a good sign when they got one like that. It meant they'd have to move them quicker, get them farther away from the alpha in question.

Ciel followed him silently down the stairs to the dining room. The long table was only set for six, although it could obviously hold more. Sebastian pulled out a chair and Ciel made a face as he sat down and the chair was pushed in. There were no other omegas sitting there, just alphas and betas.

"Allow me to introduce you to the rest of your hosts." Sebastian took his place at the head of the table. "We have Mey-Rin," he gestured to the red headed beta. "She's connected the network and keeps tabs on the alphas. There's Baldroy, he's our tech guy. I've already told him that you're going to need a phone." a blond man with a strong jaw smirked and waved, beta as well.  
"There's Finnian." a delicate looking young alpha, with pretty hair and the brightest smile that Ciel had ever seen. "He's our muscle."

At this the omega gave him a curious glance. That couldn't be right. Not with the gentle way he smiled, and the pretty curves of his body. But Sebastian only ignored the look. Whatever the story here was, it wasn't going to be told to him today. Finally, there was an elderly alpha, holding a cup of tea and sipping. He just looked placidly on.

"And this is Tanaka. He came with the house."

"Where did you find this house?" Ciel asked carefully. He tried to decide if he really thought Sebastian and this crew had burst in one day, told the residents that they would need to vacate, or if they had bought it on a short sale or some sort. He just couldn't quite place the alpha in a place like this. His body, his clothes, all screamed criminal. It was even in the way that he moved his eyes around the room, it was in the way this his hands touched items. But his words, and the elegant touches around the house were seriously confusing him.

"I inherited it." Sebastian shrugged. He sounded casual, but there was something in his tone that let Ciel know this was not a topic up for debate. It did make him wonder if he meant inherited it from a loved one, or inherited it from a family like his earlier thought process. This was getting too confusing to really think about. The plate in front of him had salad, seared salmon, asparagus. Sebastian poured him some water into the crystal goblet.  
"Please, eat."

It was delicious food, and not at all what he had been expecting. Greasy burgers, maybe? A bag of Doritos thrown at his head? Frozen pizza? He certainly had expected china and crystal, either way. He ate quietly, listening to the group around him talking. Arguing about something Finny had done in the garden. Bickering about Mey-Rin taking too long in the shower.

When he was done, he rose up to clear the plates, almost without thinking. Sebastian reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Stop!" he cried, flinching back. Everyone froze, looking.

"I am so sorry." Sebastian said smoothly. "I only meant to tell you that you didn't need to. It's Mey-Rin's turn. She'll bring out the dessert. I'm sorry, Ciel, I don't know why I wasn't thinking." Ciel sank down in his chair, cheeks red. He looked rather fetching, Sebastian thought, even though he knew this was not the time to be having thoughts like that.

Mey-Rin collected the dishes and hurried back with a tall strawberry shortcake. She sliced it and began to serve, giving Ciel a smile and a wink, and an especially fat triangle.

"Omegas love sweets, and it's been so long since we had one to feed."

"Do you not do this regularly?"

"We do," Finny nodded enthusiastically. "But sometimes they come in the middle of the night and are gone in the morning right after breakfast. And sometimes they don't want to join us for meals."

"Am I going to be here awhile?" Ciel looked at Sebastian, who sat back in his chair. His eyes raked over the omega.

"I have not yet decided the best course of action. You must know that your alpha is extremely well connected."

"He worked at the same doctor's suite as Auntie." he frowned. "But once she tells them the whole story, they won't like him anymore."

"Ooooh, dear." Mey-Rin murmured.

"I'm afraid that it might go a little bit deeper than that." Sebastian pushed his cake to the side, rested his elbows on the table. His chin rested in the knotting of his fingers, as he looked carefully at the omega sitting at the table across from him.  
"Your alpha has ties with an organized crime syndicate."

Ciel could hear his heartbeat in his ears. His mouth went dry. He swallowed a few times and looked back at his cake, so decadent, just the sort of thing that he always liked. He didn't feel able to eat it now. A crime syndicate? Was Sebastian trying to suggest that Claude was connected to the mafia? That just didn't check. He was a P.A, for crying out loud, and a good one, from what Aunt said.

"You said we needed manners at the table." he said instead. "Elbows on the table is not good manners."

"Oh I like him!" Baldroy laughed. "He got you there, Sebastian. The alpha just smirked, his eyes glinting with something that could be danger or mirth, depending on the way you tilted your head. He lifted his elbows, making a great show of it, and settled his hands down in his lap.

"Please eat the cake, Ciel. I had it baked especially for you. I thought you'd appreciate it." well, there was no way it would be polite of him now not to eat it. He took a bite, impressed with the perfect texture of the cake, the smooth whipped cream, and the way the strawberries were bursting with flavor. He looked delighted as he took another bite.  
"We grow the berries ourselves, and the cream is homemade, too."

"I don't think Claude is involved with people like that." he focused on a fat, red strawberry. He caught it on his fork and brought it to his mouth, his even, white teeth bursting the flesh.

"Why not?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Because he just doesn't seem the type. They're people with tattoos and leather jackets and messy hair and--."

"People like me?" the amusement on his face made Ciel blush. He looked down on his plate again.

"If these people looked the way you think they do, they'd be caught immediately. Think harder, Ciel, I know you're smarter than that." Sebastian prompted. But the omega just shook his head.

"I just don't think you're right."

"The intel is new and we haven't examined everything." Sebastian allowed. "So you may well be correct. Even still, knowing what we knew, finding what we've found out, we had to remove you from the situation."

"For how long?"

"I'm afraid that I cannot answer that question at this point in time." he did look apologetic. The others looked at each other and quietly drifted away from the dining room table into the kitchen, taking the dirty plates. There was a lower murmur and the running of water. The last to rise was Tanaka, who paused at the omega's chair. He put one gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, gave a squeeze.

He wanted to reach up and put his hand on the older alpha's get a comforting touch. Older alphas were often compelled to take care of young omegas. And even though Ciel was an adult, he certainly was younger than Tanaka, and that would make him want to care for him. He just gave a loving pat and tottered off to the kitchen, never speaking a word.

"When can you answer that question?"

"Perhaps when I've discovered more. My suspicions about Claude Faustus are nothing that reflect kindly on him."

"So not only did I pick an alpha who liked to hit, I also picked one with ties to the mafia."

"I don't think you were the one who did the picking out here." Sebastian said grimly.

"What does that mean?"

"You were chosen. And I don't know why yet. I'm not comfortable releasing you back to your aunt until I know the whys here. It may never be safe for you around here again."

"And then what?" his heart stopped in his chest, and he felt icy all over. "If it isn't safe for me around here."

"I will find somewhere that is safe. I promise, Ciel, I won't just leave you to get killed."

"Killed?" his voice scaled up. "I thought--killed? Claude may have, because he's angry at me, but if he's gone, then..."

"Shh, shh," Sebastian soothed. "Don't get worked up. There's a lot that we just don't know right now. Everything is going to be okay. I know it doesn't seem like it right now. But it will, be eventually."

Ciel put his head in his hands, looking down at his lap. He wanted to lift his head up, say thank you, and head for the stairs. He belonged in the room he was borrowing, trying to figure things out. But that wasn't going to work for him this time. His chest was getting tight, and it was harder and harder for him to move air in and out.

"Ciel? Ciel, can you hear me?" Sebastian was aware of the way that the omega's knuckles had gone white in his blue-black hair. He frowned, looking at the way his shoulders were heaving.  
"Ciel, I need you to look at me." no response other than a choke gasp. He stood up and knelt next to his chair, pulling it out slightly. "Look at me." an easy, gentle alpha command.

Frightened blue eyes looked at him. His lips were in a tight 'o' shape. Tears were spilling, unchecked, down his face.

"You're having a panic attack. Have you had one before?" there was the tiniest shake of his head. Sebastian cursed internally. It wasn't unheard of for an omega in this position.  
"I'm going to take your hands now, okay? Don't get upset... that's right, it's just me, I'm here." he held his hands, rubbed his fingers against the delicate flesh of the underside of the omegas wrists. Gently touching his scent glands. He lifted his hand to Ciel's face, sweeping his one wrist down his cheek. The tension in him seemed to melt a little bit.

"I--I don't..." Ciel wheezed out.

"Shh, don't worry about it, not right now. Just breathe in with me, and out with me. In with me, and out with me. Look, see? You're doing such a good job!" all omegas loved praise, and it was one of the things that made them so ripe for abuse. Ciel relaxed even further, his body uncurling. He was still crying, but crying Sebastian could deal with.  
"We're going to go to your room. You're going to go to bed."

"I am?"

"Mmhmm," he nodded. He rose up and offered his hand to Ciel. The omega only hesitated for a moment before taking it. He let himself be walked like a child back to his room, where he was deposited on the bed, and laid down.  
"Don't worry, bocchan, tomorrow things will seem better."

He closed the door, leaving the little omega in his bed. He thought about going downstairs, but realized that he hadn't locked the door. He paused. If he woke up, he was likely to panic again. A strange place with the door unlocked. He put his back to the wall and slid down. He pulled out his phone and opened up a game of Candy Crush. He stretched his legs out in front of him. It could be a long night, so he might as well make himself comfortable.


End file.
